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REPORT 


OF THE 


New Haven Harbor 
Development 
Commission 


PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE 
STATE BOARD OF CONTROL 


1922 



























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REPORT 

OF THE 


New Haven Harbor 
Development 
Commission 


PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE 
STATE BOARD OF CONTROL 


1922 





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■N 4 - 5 ' As 


New Haven, Connecticut, 

October 1, 1922. 


To His Excellency, Everett J. Lake, 

Governor of Connecticut, and the General Assembly, 
Hartford, Connecticut. 


Sir: 


The New Haven Harbor Development Commission has the 
honor to submit its report as required by the Act of the General 
Assembly creating the Commission. The Act is as follows: 

AN ACT CONCERNING NEW HAVEN HARBOR 
DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General 
Assembly convened: 

Section 1. On or before July 1, 1921, the governor shall appoint a 
commission to be known as the development commission of New Haven 
Harbor, which shall be composed of five members, at least two of whom 
shall be electors of the city and town of New Haven, and at least one an 
elector of the town of Orange; all of whom shall serve without com¬ 
pensation. 

Section 2. Said commission shall inquire into and, on or before Octo¬ 
ber 1, 1922, present a report, addressed to the governor and the general 
assembly, upon the facilities of New Haven harbor, making such recom¬ 
mendations as may be deemed advisable for the future development 
thereof with a view to the prompt and efficient handling of passengers and 
all classes of freight, the construction of permanent works and the prob¬ 
able expense thereof. Said commission shall also inquire into and report 
upon the .question of the aid of such project by the federal government 
and the amount, if any. to be available. 

Approved, June 3, 1921. 

Empowered by this Act, Your Excellency appointed the fol¬ 
lowing commissioners : 


Charles G. Bill, of Hartford; 

Waldo E. Clarke, of New London; 
Frederick L. Ford, of New Haven; 
Edward Gagel, of West Haven; and 
George Dudley Seymour, of New Haven. 



OOGUNlCfcTsi V«ilON 




REPORT OF THE COMMISSION 


The Commission held its first meeting at New Haven on 
October 5, 1921, and organized with Mr. Ford chairman, Mr. 
Bill treasurer, and Mr. Clarke secretary. At this meeting, 
after a review and full discussion of the situation, it was 
unanimously decided that the Commission would strictly re¬ 
frain from any propaganda tending to create throughout the 
State any sentiment in favor of improving the terminal facili¬ 
ties of New Haven harbor, but would devote itself exclusively 
to collecting material bearing upon the probable economic 
advantage to the commercial interests of the State at large 
which would proceed from improving the terminal facilities of 
the harbor. In other words, the Commission decided that its 
function lay in the direction of the collection of data, rather 
than in the direction of promotion of sentiment or exploitation. 
To this policy your Commission has rigidly adhered. 

No provision having been made in the Act passed by the 
General Assembly for an appropriation to enable the Commis¬ 
sion to carr}' on its work of investigation, a request was pre¬ 
sented to the State Board of Control, which thereupon author¬ 
ized the expenditure by the Commission of an amount not to 
exceed $1,000, of which less than $400 has been expended. 

Directly after the organization of the Commission, it pro¬ 
cured copies of the following documents bearing upon the sub¬ 
ject in hand: 

A: /‘Report of the New Haven Civic Improvement Com¬ 
mission,” by Cass Gilbert, Architect, and Frederick Law Olm¬ 
sted, Landscape Architect. This Report, published in 1910, 
was chiefly concerned with city planning, but also considered, 
to some extent, the harbor in its necessary relation to the plan 
of the city. 

B: “Report on Railroad Station Approach and Harbor- 
Front Improvements,” by Frederick L. Ford, a member of the 
Commission. This report, published in 1912, was prepared by 
Mr. Ford, when serving as City Engineer of New Haven, and 
constituted in effect an extension and amplification of the re¬ 
port made two years earlier by Messrs. Gilbert and Olmsted. 

C: “The Gillette New Haven Harbor Terminal Facilities 
Report.” This Report was made by Major Cassius M. Gillette, 
U. S. A. Retired, a distinguished harbor engineer, on the basis 
of studies of the problem made by him in 1912-13, when em¬ 
ployed for that purpose by the New Haven Chamber of Com¬ 
merce, which, at that time, undertook an active campaign, 
started by Mr. Seymour, a member of this Commission, to 



4 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


provide the harbor with terminal facilities and to increase its 
value as a commercial asset of New Haven. Major Gillette 
was employed for this purpose on the advice of Former Presi¬ 
dent Taft, who was then a citizen of New Haven, and who had 
been called upon as Secretary of War to consider problems 
akin to the New Haven problem. 

D: “The Harding New Haven Harbor Terminal Facilities 
Report.” This Report was made by Mr. H. McL. Harding, 
the well-known harbor terminal engineer and specialist, after 
an intensive study of the problem in 1920-21. Mr. Harding 
was employed for this purpose by the Hon. David E. Fitz¬ 
Gerald, Mayor of New Haven, and was assisted in preparing it 
by Mr. Edward S. Nettleton, then Acting City Engineer. The 
Harding Report, as presented to the Mayor, was accompanied 
by elaborate maps, plans, photographs and statistics. 

Copies of these documents, A to D inclusive, accompany this 
report of your Commission,—A and B in printed and C and D 
in typewritten form. 

Shortly after the organization of the Commission, Mr. 
Chandler of the State Chamber of Commerce, was interviewed, 
bespeaking co-operation with the Commission in securing 
statistics as to the tonnage and classes of freight that might 
be expected to use the proposed New Haven Harbor facilities. 
Such assistance was readily promised, but the work of the 
Commission, as it developed, did not turn in the direction of 
calling upon the State Chamber of Commerce for any tabu¬ 
lated statement of the statistical information of the character 
above specified. 

The second meeting of the Commission, held at New Haven 
on November 2, 1921, consisted of two sessions, the first de¬ 
voted to the general business of the Commission, and the 
second to a comprehensive survey by the entire Commission of 
both the east and west shores of the harbor, as well as the 
harbor frontage of the city proper. 

The next—the third—meeting of the Commission was held 
at New London on November 15th, and was almost entirely 
devoted to an examination of the new State pier and facilities 
at this point, under the guidance of Mr. Clarke, Secretary of 
the Commission and Secretary of the State Rivers, Harbors 
and Bridges Commission. 

At this meeting a committee composed of Commissioners 
Gagel and Ford were instructed to formulate a questionnaire , to 
be submitted to the members of the State Chamber of Com¬ 
merce for the purpose of procuring statistical data as to the 
possible tonnage to be handled through the port of New Haven 
by industries located within the borders of the State, but out¬ 
side of the City of New Haven. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


5 


Conceiving the City of New Haven to have the largest 
interest in the proposed provision of its harbor with terminal 
facilities, and with the aim of determining the extent of the 
interest which the New Haven Chamber of Commerce and the 
State Harbor Board might have in the project in hand, and of 
the character of any concrete constructive plan, if any, formu¬ 
lated by the said Chamber or Board, either or both, the Com¬ 
mission held a meeting (its fourth) on January 11, 1922, in the 
rooms of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, and invited 
the entire membership <&f the New Haven Chamber of Com¬ 
merce, including the Harbor Committee of the Chamber and 
the “Board of Harbor Commissioners for New Haven Harbor” 
(including the Harbor Master of New Haven) appointed by 
the Governor of the State, to appear before it and present 
their individual and collective views, and submit any maps, 
plans, statistical data, or other material, which they had col¬ 
lected as bearing on the subject. Between thirty and forty 
persons only out of the entire membership of the New Haven 
Chamber of Commerce were present at this meeting. The 
following synopses of the addresses of the evening are ex¬ 
tracted verbatim from the minutes of the meeting, and are 
given in full to show that neither the State Board nor the 
Harbor Committee of the Chamber had, at that time at least, 
arrived at any definite conclusion or agreement as to the char¬ 
acter and location of the proposed improvement, whereas, the 
Commission had hoped to find that the business interests of 
New Haven, expressing themselves through the historic 
Chamber of Commerce, would have organized and formulated 
some concrete plan, if no more than tentative. No evidence 
of anything more than individual interest and opinion ap¬ 
peared. 

Mr. E. S. Nettleton, Chief Engineer of the City of New 
Haven, explained the various plans and charts as prepared by 
his office under the advice and direction of Consulting Engi¬ 
neer, Mr. H. McL. Harding. Mr. Nettleton stated that the 
channel should be dredged from its present depth of 20 to a 
final depth of 32 feet at mean low water. He stated that 
warehouses would ultimately be required, that a single ware¬ 
house would cost approximately $400,000, but that a beginning 
could be made by building the quays and sheds only. Mr. 
Nettleton favored a compromise on the location of the initial 
development by using the east side of the harbor, part of the 
waterfront for commercial purposes and part for park pur¬ 
poses. 

Mr. George H. Burgess, Chairman of the New Haven 
Chamber Harbor Committee, favored the initial development 
being located on the east side of the harbor. 


6 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


Mr. Lucien Sanderson stated that the New Haven Harbor 
had been neglected because the New Haven people had been 
asleep and did not realize the great asset which the harbor gave 
to the City of New Haven and to the State of Connecticut. 
Mr. Sanderson was opposed to the development of the east 
side, stating that it should be reserved for park purposes. 

Mr. L. J. Carmalt, Consulting Engineer, favored the devel¬ 
opment of the east side, stating that better rail connections 
could be had to the Cedar Hill yard; that the present Tomlin¬ 
son Bridge should be rebuilt, that the present railway yards in 
front of the passenger station would Be required to take care 
of the present and future passenger and freight through ser¬ 
vice. Mr. Carmalt advised the Commission that it should at¬ 
tempt to interest the State Grange in the development of the 
New Haven harbor. 

Mr. M. E. Chatfield, member of the National Waterways 
Association, stated that if terminals are provided, ships and 
trade will follow; he discussed the relationship of the New 
Haven harbor to the inland waterways along the Atlantic 
Coast. Mr. Chatfield offered the suggestion that the terminals 
should be located on the west side of the harbor by extending 
City Boulevard into the harbor area, developing piers from 
that highway. 

Mr. Edward P. Avery, Harbor Master, brought out the fact 
that improvements should be made to take care of ships up to 
7,COO tons deadweight, requiring a depth of water of 30 feet. 
He stated that the first development would not pay for itself 
for a period of years but that it would more than pay even¬ 
tually. He believed that a saving of $2 per ton could be 
effected for the Connecticut shippers by developing the port of 
New Haven, due to heavy lighter and transfer charges at New 
York. 

Judge Henry A. L. Hall, member of the Harbor Board, be¬ 
lieved that the east shore should be reserved for parks; he 
favored the development of the initial development in the 
section near the Seamless Rubber Company’s plant; Govern¬ 
ment co-operation would be made more certain if the initial 
development was located at this point, instead of on the north¬ 
west side of the harbor near Canal Dock, as the length of the 
main channel would be greatly shortened. 

Mr. Sidney Stokes favored the development of the west 
side. He did not believe that the New Haven Railway Com¬ 
pany had sufficient money to develop track connections that 
would be required on the east side of the harbor, as it would 
necessitate the reconstruction of the railway bridge and a 
heavy cost in extending track connections along the%ast side 
to the Cedar Hill yard. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


7 


Mr. William Hotchkiss favored the location of the initial 
development on the east side, stating that the east side area 
is an undeveloped section affording a cheap and an extensive 
area for sheds, warehouses and industrial railway yards and 
other pier development sites. Mr. Hotchkiss favored the ex¬ 
tension of the east side piers further into the harbor than as 
called for on the blueprint submitted by Mr. Nettleton. He 
also stated that the development on the west side would re¬ 
quire the use of very costly lands located in congested areas, 
resulting in extra heavy trucking in streets and extra heavy 
train service through the “cut”. 

Mr. E. E. Ball favored the development of the northwest 
section of the harbor near Canal Dock. He believed that the 
State and City would take over Canal and Long Docks for that 
purpose, expressing the idea that the New York, New Haven 
and Hartford Railroad Company should voluntarily deed these 
docks to the City or State. 

Mr. Raut favored locating the initial development at the 
City Dock, stating the present City Dock provides rail trans¬ 
portation and room for extension. Mr. Raut expressed the 
idea that the City and owners of the existing waterfront should 
dredge their own slip areas and channels to the proposed gov¬ 
ernment channel. 

Mr. Frank H. Mason, of the New Haven Harbor Commit¬ 
tee, suggested the use of an area south of that on which the 
American Velvet Company is located for the initial develop¬ 
ment. He staged that this area contained practically eight 
acres of land and was now being held in trust for the New 
Haven Chamber of Commerce by three of its members. He 
favored the establishment of bulkhead and pierhead lines, the 
dredging of 7C0 foot slips and the building of piers to be able 
to take care of two 7500 ton steamships. Mr. Mason offered 
to turn over necessary maps and data to the State Commission. 

Mr. Edward Gagel, speaking as Chief Engineer for the 
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railway Company, 
stated that Tomlinson Bridge would have to be rebuilt in order 
to handle heavier freight loads, if not done by the City the 
Railroad Company would have to build a bridge for its own use. 

Chairman Ford, in bringing the meeting to a conclusion, 
stated that it would be necessary for the State Commission and 
the New Haven Chamber of Commerce to bestir themselves, 
as a great deal of missionary work would have to be done in 
the “up-state” section. That this section would have to be 
consulted and won over to the proposition for developing New 
Haven harbor; that they must be convinced that the proposi¬ 
tion was not one to benefit New Haven only. 

The meeting discovered gratifying enthusiasm on the part 


8 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


of the speakers, but, as appears from the above extracts, there 
was no concensus of opinion as to what should be done first, 
and no evidence on the part of New Haven business interests 
of any “getting together” to back the enterprise, and no evi¬ 
dence that the project had been sufficiently, or at all studied 
in conjunction with the allied questions of transportation facil¬ 
ities, city planning, zoning, park development, and the location 
and character of the new Tomlinson Bridge. 

At an “executive session” of this same meeting, Messrs. 
Ford and Gagel submitted a draft of a questionnaire, which was 
approved, and the Secretary was asked to have it printed and 
sent to a selected list of addresses, covering members of the 
Manufacturers’ Association of Connecticut, members of the 
State Grange, and many business organizations, the purpose 
being to ascertain, if possible, the attitude of the industrial in¬ 
terests of the State at large toward the project of providing 
New Haven harbor with improved terminal facilities. A copy 
of the questionnaire follows: 

Questionnaire Letter 

During the last Legislature a bill was passed providing 
for the appointment by the Governor of a Commission to 
be known as the development commission of New Haven 
harbor. Complying with the provision of this Act, the 
Governor has made the following appointments: 
Frederick L. Ford, of New Haven, £onn., 

Waldo E. Clarke, of New London, £onn., 

Charles G. Bill, of Hartford, Conn., 

Edward Gagel, of West Haven, Conn., and 
George Dudley Seymour, of New Haven, Conn. 

The bill provides that said commission shall inquire 
into and, on or before October 1, 1922, present a report 
addressed to the Governor and the General Assembly, 
upon the facilities of New Haven harbor, making such 
recommendations as may be deemed advisable for the 
future development thereof with a view to the prompt 
and efficient handling of passengers and all classes of 
freight, the construction of permanent works and the 
probable expense thereof. 

The Commission has applied to the State Chamber of 
Commerce to circularize its members through the local 
chambers, to find out to what extent the inland manufac¬ 
turers and merchants of Connecticut would be interested 
in the development of New Haven harbor and to what 
extent they would take advantage of such additional 
transportation facilities. To facilitate the Commission 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


9 


in reaching conclusions upon which to base its report to 
the 1923 Legislature, your co-operation and advice upon 
the following questions is most important. 

1. Would the further development of the New Haven 
harbor and the installation of modern terminal facilities 
be of material advantage to you or to your Company? 

2. What classes of cargo would you wish to have 
carried and their probable destination? 

. 3. What return cargo could you receive from destin¬ 
ation of cargo forwarded by you? 

4. What would be character and tonnage of cargo 
you would ship and character and tonnage by return 
vessel? 

5. Would suitable warehousing facilities at New 
Haven harbor, for temporary storage of outbound or in¬ 
bound cargoes, be of a material assistance to you? 

The Commission will appreciate any suggestions you 
have to offer along the line above indicated, to the end 
that the report to the next Legislature on the further 
development of New Haven harbor will be fair, impartial 
and exhaustive. 


The fifth meeting of the Commission, held at New Haven, 
February 23d, was devoted to a review of the situation, with 
particular reference to the attitude of citizens of New Haven, 
as developed by the Chamber of Commerce meeting on January 
11th. It was the sense of this meeting of February 23d, that 
the Commission should forthwith make a special effort to de¬ 
termine the attitude of the City officials and to endeavor to get 
their co-operation in the collection of data bearing upon the 
issues involved, as well as to disabuse them of the idea which 
seemed to prevail, that it was a part of the function of the 
Commission to create sentiment favorable to securing an ap¬ 
propriation of State funds for the project, rather than to col¬ 
lect data which should indicate whether or not the industries 
of the State at large would be benefitted by the improvements 
contemplated. In pursuance of this policy, the Secretary of 
the Commission was directed to wait upon Mayor FitzGerald 
and lay before him the situation as conceived by the Com¬ 
mission, with particular emphasis on the following points ; viz : 

A: That the Commission was not intended to create sen¬ 
timent in favor of the project, but only to collect data bearing 
upon its economic advantages to the State at large. 

B: That detailed and definite information was desired by 
the Commission bearing upon the need of additional deep-sea 
steamship terminals at New Haven. 



10 


new haven harbor development commission 


C: The desirability of the appointment, by the Mayor, of 
a local committee, chosen from the Board of Aldermen, the 
Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions Clubs, 
to study conditions, collect data, and concrete facts and figures, 
to show the State-wide need of terminal facilities for New 
Haven harbor. 

D: The desirability of providing for holding meetings in 
Waterbury and other cities and towns, so that the advantages 
could be pointed out to the business interests of the State at 
large that would result from the opening of New Haven harbor 
for ocean service. 

E: That sentiment throughout the State favorable to the 
project was essential to its success, and as the creation of such 
sentiment was without the province of the Commission, it 
could be created only by some other body and logically fell to 
New Haven enterprise. 

The Secretary of the Commission waited upon the Mayor 
and presented the situation to him, as directed. The Secretary 
then reported, under date of March 7th, to the Commissioners, 
that he had waited upon the Mayor, who had gladly received 
the several suggestions and informed him that he would or¬ 
ganize such a Committee and “get things working” as soon as 
possible. 

In this same letter of March 7th, addressed to the members 
of the Commission by its Secretary, it was stated that 1500 of 
the questionnaires had already been sent out, and that a large 
number more would soon be put in the mails. 

The sixth meeting of the Commission was held at New 
Haven on April 24th. At this meeting the Secretary reported 
that no less than 2500 copies of the Commission’s questionnaire 
had been issued to a carefully selected list of members of the 
Connecticut Manufacturers’ Association, the State Chamber 
of Commerce, the State Grange, etc. At the date of this 
meeting, only 191 replies had been received. One hundred and 
twenty of these replies disclaimed interest in the project of 
developing New Haven harbor; 52 expressed interest in the 
project; 19 expressed interest solely in increased facilities for 
handling coal, and 57 questionnaires were returned unclaimed. 
Out of 200 blanks forwarded to members of the State Grange, 
but three answers were received, of which two were negative 
and the other affirmative. 

The failure of the Commission’s effort to collect data bear¬ 
ing on the question in hand from business interests throughout 
the State repeated similar failures following the attempt of 
Major Gillette in 1913 and of Mr. Harding in 1921 to collect 
such information by means of widely distributed question¬ 
naires. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


11 


The Commission here expresses the opinion that the only 
practical way of collecting the data sought to be secured by 
its questionnaire, is the employment of a representative to 
personally visit the leading manufacturers and merchants 
throughout the State and secure from them, by direct personal 
interview, figures indicating what use they might advantage¬ 
ously make of the transportation facilities afforded by New 
Haven harbor, if provided with such terminal facilities as are 
comprehended, for instance, in the reports of Major Gillette 
or Mr. Harding. 

At this sixth meeting of the Commission, it was determined 
to make another effort to ascertain what plans, if any, had 
been formulated by the City government or by the business 
interests of the City for supporting the project in hand. It 
was accordingly vote'd to hold another joint meeting, similar to 
the meeting of January 11th, and that the Mayor of New 
Haven, members of the Harbor Committee of the Chamber, 
and others should be invited to attend. 

The seventh meeting was held at New Haven on May 8th. 
This well-attended meeting lasted for three hours, and those 
present discussed the question in hand from many angles. The 
Mayor did not attend, but was represented by Alderman John 
Murphy, who stated that he was not authorized to offer any 
definite program on the part of the Mayor, nor was any 
definite program offered by anyone present. One of the out- 
of-town members of the Commission expressed himself very 
forcibly on the point that, in his opinion, it would be useless to 
look for an appropriation from the General Assembly to for¬ 
ward the project, unless it could be made to appear that the 
City of New Haven,—the largest beneficiary of the project,— 
was behind it with a definite engineering and financial program 
and was also supported by business interests organized for 
the purpose. 

The eighth meeting took place in Hartford on June 7th, and 
was attended by His Excellency, Governor Lake. At this 
meeting, the work of the Commission was reviewed, and the 
character of its report to the General Assembly was forecast. 
Inasmuch as it appeared to the Commission that the New 
Haven public at least were of the opinion that the Federal 
Government would forward the undertaking by conducting 
dredging operations as rapidly as warehouses were built and 
apparatus installed, it was thought that the Commission should 
secure authentic information on these points from headquar¬ 
ters. At this meeting, therefore, the Secretary of the Com¬ 
mission was directed to proceed to Washington for the pur¬ 
pose of interviewing Brig. Gen. Harry Taylor, Assistant Chief 
Engineer. Accordingly, Mr. Clarke made an appointment 


12 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


with Gen. Taylor, whom he interviewed in Washington on 
June 19th. His report to the Chairman of the Commission 
was as follows: 

Your Secretary made a hurried visit to Washington 
on June 19, 1922, and interviewed Brigadier General 
Harry Taylor, Assistant Chief of Engineers, of the War 
Department at Washington, D. C. 

The writer explained the organization and purpose of 
the New Haven Harbor Development Commission as pro¬ 
vided by the Act of the State Legislature, with special 
reference to the second paragraph of the “Act making 
inquiry as to the attitude of the Federal Government 
toward the further development of New Haven Harbor.” 

General Taylor explained that the policy in regard to 
the improvement of harbors and other navigable waters 
by the Federal Government is in the hands of Congress, 
and that the Engineering Department is not in a position 
to give assurances as to the Federal appropriations for 
improved facilities at any harbor. The procedure under 
which improvements are initiated lies, first in the author¬ 
ization by Congress in a river and harbor bill of an exam¬ 
ination and survey of the locality. Such an examination 
and survey is made by the Engineer Department, and the 
report, after a review by the Board of Engineers for 
Rivers and Harbors, as required by law, is submitted to 
Congress. This report furnishes information by which 
Congress determines the advisability of an appropriation 
from the Federal Treasurer. 

Without a full investigation into the matter, author¬ 
ized by Congress, the Engineer Department obviously 
could not express an opinion upon the worthiness of the 
proposed work, or upon the extent to which the cost 
should be borne by local interests and by the Federal 
Government respectively. 

Brigadier General Taylor further suggested that it 
would be necessary for our representatives in Congress 
to secure the authorization of an examination and survey 
of the New Haven Harbor. As such an examination and 
survey cannot be accomplished and reported upon before 
the date fixed by the State law for the submission of the 
New Haven Harbor Development Commission’s report, 
he suggested that our Commission consider a recommen¬ 
dation that the matter be held for further conference with 
this department after the authority of Congress therefor 
has been secured. 

Your Secretary inquired whether there were not un¬ 
written rules governing the policy of the Federal Gov- 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


13 


ernment in the various harbor development projects. In 
other words, I attempted to put a hypothetical question 
to General Taylor in hopes that an answer would be made 
which would give our Commission some assurance of the 
extent of Government co-operatidn in the development of 
New Haven Harbor. I raised the question as to what 
extent would the Government co-operate in giving New 
Haven Harbor a thirty-three-foot channel, provided the 
terminal facilities and channelways to the main govern¬ 
ment channel were constructed jointly by the City and 
State. I was informed that there were no unwritten 
rules, that each project must be considered on its own 
merits in the light of the needs of commerce and naviga¬ 
tion. The fact that local interests are prepared to ex¬ 
pend considerable sums on terminal developments ob¬ 
viously establishes a presumption that the harbor is 
worthy of improvement by the Federal Government, but 
such a presumption cannot be considered conclusive. A 
number of instances have arisen in which local interests 
have offered to meet a large proportion of the cost of the 
improvement and in which on thorough investigation it 
has been found that the improvements proposed was not 
justified by the benefits of commerce, irrespectively of 
the agency which met its cost. 

The river and harbor act of June 5, 1920, contains the 
following provisions: Every report submitted to Con¬ 
gress in pursuance of this section or of any provision of 
law for a survey hereafter enacted, in addition to other 
information which the Congress has heretofore directed 
shall be given, shall contain a statement of special or 
local benefit which will accrue to localities affected by 
such improvement and a statement of general or national 
benefits, with recommendations as to what local co-op¬ 
eration should be required, if any, on account of such 
special or local benefit. 

It would therefore be necessary for the City and the 
State jointly to be prepared to inform Congress, as pro¬ 
vided above, as to the amount of local co-operation, 
whether in the form of terminal facilities or a contribu¬ 
tion toward the cost of the general improvements. . 

In a further discussion it was brought out that the 
Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors recently ap¬ 
proved Federal co-operation in the development of the 
port of Corpus Christi, Texas. This section of the 
country is a rapidly growing section and its railway facil¬ 
ities are being greatly increased ; it is two hundred miles 
from the nearest port. 


14 


NEW UAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


. In attempting to solicit the aid of the Federal Govern¬ 

ment, the Corpus Christi Committee made an industrial 
survey; hundreds of pages of statistics and data, proving 
conclusively that rail and water trade would result; 
showing that a saving of a dollar a bale on cotton would 
result upon the completion of such a project. From such 
information and upon proper investigation the Board of 
Engineers for Rivers and Harbors approved and recom¬ 
mended that Congress appropriate sufficient money to 
carry out the plan. 

In bringing the case back to New Haven, it was 
definitely pointed out that inasmuch as there were so 
many harbors in New England and in such close prox- 
imitiy to New York and Boston, it might be a very diffi¬ 
cult problem, in making an industrial survey, to show an 
extensive area to draw tonnage from, which would justify 
the engineers in recommending federal co-operation. 

It was pointed out to your Secretary that the Engineer 
Department made a report, concerning New Haven Har¬ 
bor, to Congress in 1920, and that this report was unfav¬ 
orable. This report has not been printed. Upon re¬ 
questing the unprinted report, I was advised that it would 
be necessary to have the matter brought up in Congress 
and have some printed for public use. 

From the above information it is obvious that, to have 
the United States Federal Government co-operate with 
the City of New Haven and the State of Connecticut in 
the further development of New Haven Harbor, it would 
require an extensive industrial survey and the submission 
of definite facts and figures, so as to prove to the Engi¬ 
neers the necessity of such a project. 

In discussing the depth of water required at New 
Haven, it was pointed out to the writer that it was very 
doubtful whether Congress would consider any project 
asking for more than thirty feet of water. 

The ninth meeting of the Commission was held on August 
28th, and was also attended by His Excellency, the Governor. 
At this meeting a tentative report was read, followed by a dis¬ 
cussion in which the Governor took part. This final report 
was prepared as the result of that discussion. 

The conclusion of the Commission may be summed up as 
follows: 

First: That in the time allowed and with the limited funds 
available and owing to the disturbed state of business follow¬ 
ing the War, your Commission has been unable to secure data 
warranting any definite action at the present time. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


15 


Second: That any appeal to the General Assembly for 
assistance in the matter of providing terminal facilities for 
New Haven harbor must be preceded by the commitment of 
New Haven to a definite program, and also by the appearance 
in New Haven of an organized effort to stand behind the pro¬ 
ject, not only with funds, but with active moral support. 

Third: That the co-operation of the Federal Government 
can only be secured after the City of New Haven and State of 
Connecticut have taken definite steps in the premises, and have 
.determined upon a works-program and have actually begun 
the work of initial installation. 

Fourth: That New Haven harbor, if provided with ter¬ 
minal facilities, might be utilized to great advantage by the 
citizens of the State at large as an additional means of trans¬ 
portation of coal, lumber, fertilizers, lime, stone, cement, and 
other bulky commodities. 

Your Commission recommends the printing of this report 
and the reports of Major Gillette and Mr. Harding as ap¬ 
pendices to it, for the use and guidance of future investigators 
of the subject. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Frederick L. Ford, Chairman. 

Waldo E. Clark, Secretary. 

Charles G. Bill. 

Edw. Gagel. 

George Dudley Seymour. 


16 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


APPENDIX A 

NEW HAVEN 
REPORT 
of the 

CIVIC IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION 
Cass Gilbert, Architect 

Frederick Law Olmsted, Landscape Architect 
1910 

Copy on file at the State Library, Hartford, Connecticut. 


APPENDIX B 

REPORT 

on 

RAILROAD STATION APPROACH 
and 

HARBOR FRONT IMPROVEMENTS 
Made to 

Hon. Frank J. Rice, Mayor of the City of 
New Haven 

Mr. Amos F. Barnes, Chairman Aldermanic 
Approach Committee 

By 

FREDERICK L. FORD 
New Haven, Connecticut, September 24, 1912 

Copy on file at the State Library, Hartford, Connecticut. 
Appendices C and D printed as a part of this report. 



NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


17 


APPENDIX C 

New Haven, Conn., December 31, 1913. 

Mr. George Dudley Seymour, 

Secretary, City Plan Commission, 

New Haven, Conn. 

Dear Sir: 

In compliance with your request I have made a general 
examination of New Haven Harbor and its surroundings, with 
a view to a correlation of future port development and con¬ 
nected subjects with the plans for the general betterment of 
the city, and beg to submit the following general report. New 
Haven Bay constitutes the most important harbor on the coast 
of Connecticut, this importance depending upon its size, its 
location with reference to rail connections, its accessibility and 
safety. 

The most important of these is the fact that railroad lines 
radiate like the spokes of a wheel, to the West, Northwest, 
North, Northeast and East, and traverse a highly important 
manufacturing region. No other Connecticut port is situated 
so advantageously in this behalf. 

The territory normally tributary to New Haven is the 
western two-thirds of the state, a goodly part of western 
Massachusetts, a portion of Vermont and New Hampshire, 
and even a little of the State of New York. In this region are 
located many important manufacturing towns, whose future 
welfare, like that of all manufacturing New England, will de¬ 
pend upon cheap transportation. 

New England’s principal asset as a manufacturing section 
has depended upon her abundance of skilled mechanics. It 
has been handicapped by the fact that its food, fuel, lumber 
and raw materials generally have to be imported. It is.not 
very expensive to move skilled labor once, but it is expensive 
to continuously move heavy freight. This fact is illustrated 
by the tremendous development of the Middle West as a man¬ 
ufacturing region. Practically none of the recent enormous 
automobile expansion has accrued to New England. Similarly 
with the cotton industry. Mills in the South run by cheap 
coal, cheap water power, developed almost in the cotton fields, 
with cheap labor and less rigorous climate, calling for less fuel, 
less clothing, less food and cheaper houses, seriously handicap 
New England, which requires not only all of these elements in 
a more expensive way, but the freight upon the cotton itself. 

Another example,—Pennsylvania tans vast quantities of 


18 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


leather, then ships the leather with the coal necessary for 
power to New England, and ships back a large percentage of 
the completed shoes. It is the same with anything else. To 
progress normally in the future New England must cheapen 
freights. The cost of transhipping general freight from ships 
to trains, or to drays, will as a general thing carry that freight 
about a thousand miles at sea, and rail transportation is from 
ten to twenty times as expensive as water transportation. It 
therefore behooves manufacturing New England to have all 
possible freight brought by water*, then put on the cars for 
final shipment at the minimum expense. Generally transpor¬ 
tation is controlled by lines along which it must go and cities 
located at transfer points prosper from the very expensiveness 
of the transf u\ It would obviously be the part of wisdom for 
manufacturing New England to so manage as to reduce these 
costs of transfer to a minimum and make its direct profits 
from its manufacturers. 

The City of New Haven, with its fine harbor, located as the 
hub of the wheel in which the radiating railroads correspond 
to the spokes, has therefore a very unique opportunity to benefit 
not only itself but the manufacturing country naturally trib¬ 
utary to it. The City was originally planned as a seaport and 
its early growth was based almost exclusively upon commerce. 
It is astonishing how much that asset has been neglected in 
recent years. The wave of railroad construction which has 
swept this country in recent decades caused everywhere a 
neglect of canals, lakes, navigable channels and ports. New 
England has been no exception. Instead of New Haven being 
the distributing center that it normally should be, New York 
has been that center and an added freight charge, due to the 
haul of 70 miles and back, has handicapped the development of 
the country, really to the detriment of the railroad, because 
the greater development of the country, due to cheaper freight 
rates on heavy materials, would have much more than made 
up to the railroad in higher class freights and passengers what 
it would lose in the hauling lumber, coal and similar products. 

New Haven’s present size is dependent principally upon 
three things, Yale College, which probably accounts for 15,000 
of the population; the railroad headquarters and shops, for 
probably as much more, and the remaining one hundred thou¬ 
sand upon its manufacturing. The proper development of 
port facilities should very materially increase that population 
and might even double it, so that the matter is worthy of the 
most serious consideration of the City, as well as that portion 
of the State normally tributary to it. 

The important question is “How can the City best aid the 
bringing of commerce to this port and distributing it so that 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


19 


the City and the country tributary to it will get their supplies 
and ship their product at the minimum cost for transporta¬ 
tion ?” Beyond doubt the point where the greatest benefit 
can be accomplished is in getting the freight from the ship to 
the cars and conversely. European ports have spent astonish¬ 
ing sums in this behalf, a great deal of which has been on plans 
of unnecessary expense and comparatively poor efficiency, but 
their experience has laid the foundation for the development of 
compact, scientifically managed, systematic terminals of very 
great efficiency. New Haven is very well adopted indeed to 
such a terminal and its expense need not be at all extravagant 
in proportion to its direct economies. 

The time lost by ships riding at anchor is a very serious 
matter, generally overlooked, but someone is paying a heavy 
interest on the cost of the ship and the wages of its crew 
whenever it lies idle. Any addition, therefore, to the direct 
saving of an efficient terminal which handles the goods much 
more cheaply than the ordinary clumsy methods in the time of 
the ship saved makes possible a further net reduction in the 
total freight charges and makes the port an attractive one for 
ship owners. 

It therefore seems to me that the wisest thing New Haven 
could do would be to plan now and even begin the gradual 
construction of such a terminal with a view not to terminal 
profits, which have proven very great in the Bush Terminal of 
New York for example, but for the bringing of shipping to the 
port, which in itself carries with it repair shops, shipyards, 
ship chandlers and a growth of business generally. 

The future lumber for the territory tributary to New 
Haven will doubtless come from the South and from the Oregon 
country, through the Panama Canal. This Canal will likely 
develop a great many lines of traffic which will change existing 
routes very materially. Nearly every port of any importance 
on the eastern seaboard is making preparations to take advan¬ 
tage of the Canal. New Haven is the focus of a section large 
enough to be of importance in this connection. The wheat, 
lumber, canned goods, wines, dried fruits and many other pro¬ 
ducts of the Pacific region, can very advantageously be re¬ 
ceived here for the tributary section. 

The opening of the New York Barge Canal is going to give 
exceedingly cheap freights for the wheat and other grains, 
hardwoods and analogous products of the Great Lakes region, 
including Canada, and the barges handling such things can 
come to New Haven from New York without any trouble 
whatever. Cheap fuel can be brought here in barges from 
Perth Amboy and still cheaper from the Norfolk district. 
There is also plenty of water power in this part of New 


20 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


England and it would look as though woodworking establish¬ 
ments and flour mills should properly be located here, as it is 
less expensive to ship rough lumber and wheat than it is the 
finished products. Agriculture in Connecticut will surely re¬ 
vive with the aid of fertilizers made of materials from Chili. 
Florida, and Virginia, all of which can be brought to New 
Haven very cheaply and properly manufactured here for dis¬ 
tribution. 

European ports have generally had to develop not only 
their terminal and their port facilities, but the harbor depths 
as well. This latter the government does for New Haven and 
she need concern herself therefore only with the terminal. 

There are many elements that enter into the determination 
of the best location for such a terminal, but apparently beyond 
doubt there is no question but that such a terminal would best 
be located in the area between Long Wharf and Oyster Point. 
It is almost ideally located for convenient connection with the 
railroad, an all-important matter. It is also exceeding well 
located with reference to the Government channel and anchor¬ 
age. The necessary space for it can be built up at moderate 
expense by using the material dredged in the necessary widen¬ 
ing of the anchorage and channel to accommodate the in¬ 
creased shipping which such a terminal would undoubtedly 
bring. 

The details of such a terminal would, of course, require 
considerable study and investigation of the existing and pros¬ 
pective commerce, but it should in general consist of a series 
of wharves parallel to each other and about parallel to Long 
Wharf, with appliances on those wharves for lifting by ma¬ 
chinery vertically out of the hatches of the vessels the freight 
which they bring and carrying it by an overhead conveyor 
system either to drays for the City or to cars for the tributary 
country. The exact machinery and distribution of tracks and 
warehouses would depend entirely upon the freight proposed 
to be handled, and in general a railroad track on each side of 
the terminal connecting with the east and west main lines, and 
with a series of cross tracks, parallel to each other, between 
them for the quick storage and removal of cars, and the partial 
making up of trains are obvious elements of the structure. 
Fire-proof warehouses for the safe temporary shelter of goods 
coming in should be planned for and supplied as needed. In¬ 
deed, this feature might possibly be very advantageously ex¬ 
tended to include fireproof storage warehouses for the manu¬ 
factured products of the district which would greatly facilitate 
their prompt shipment, since they would be 'systematically 
stored and scheduled right in the vicinity of an organized force 
and plenty of cars instead of requiring special emergency work 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


21 


to get the necessary cars to the factory, often located incon¬ 
veniently for this work. The ability to make prompt ship¬ 
ments from storage is a valuable asset to any manufacturing 
concern. 

Especially for handling lumber would such a properly 
equipped terminal be advantageous? Heavy timbers are put 
into schooners in the South by sliding them “down hill” into a 
bow port by cheap negro labor. Getting such timber out is a 
very difficult and expensive process, if done by hand, A prop¬ 
erly equipped terminal for this business would mean a great 
saving in the cost of all timber construction throughout the 
district. A wharf of the “saw tooth” shape in plan could be 
readily adapted to the very economical handling of this im¬ 
portant freight. 

Government appropriations for harbors are generally very 
unwisely scattered and are often properly referred to as so 
much “pork” to be expended in each neighborhood. The plan 
adopted for Texas should be more or less adopted for other 
states. There a competent Board picked out the right harbor 
for the principal port for Texas and the appropriations from 
the Government were concentrated on that port and produced 
very satisfactory results. The section tributary to New 
Haven, or indeed the whole State, should organize in some 
manner to see that such appropriations are wisely distributed, 
or perhaps more correctly, wisely concentrated to give the 
greatest real benefit to the commonwealth as a whole. 

Obviously the general plan for such distribution would be 
for the general run of small harbors along the coast to be 
improved with the view to barge and schooner transportation 
to the various manufacturing plants of that port, few of such 
ports having any tributary country to speak of behind them, 
but that New Haven, when provision has been made for a 
proper terminal, be provided with a channel deep enough to 
receive boats from beyond Hatteras, from the Panama Canal, 
occasional tramp steamers from anywhere, and even possibly 
a regular line of sea-going steamers to foreign ports. 

New London stands out somewhat from the other harbors 
and the State has made some special provision for it, but it has 
no radiating system of railroads like New Haven has and out¬ 
side of its local manufacturies, has no unusual value except 
possibly an export and import point for Canadian and Vermont 
regions, it having as a port for them some advantages over 
Portland or Boston, or any other point east of Cape Cod. 

It has been proposed recently to fix the future development 
of the port of New Haven by a set of harbor lines, to be estab¬ 
lished at once. Certainly before this is done, some definite 
plans for the suggested terminal should be given full and care- 


22 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


ful consideration. In general harbor lines are designed to 
limit encroachment of private individuals upon water area 
necessary for maneuvering vessels, or for furnishing the tidal 
volume to help keep the channel scoured out. In both of these 
particulars New Haven is fortunate. The area for anchorage 
and maneuvering is apparently ample for all future needs, with 
a considerable allowance for the filling in of tidal flats, and 
the tidal volume is so ample and the sand movement at the 
entrance so slight, that the increase of dredging that might be 
put upon the government by a liberal use of the necessary 
area for a proper terminal would be a bagatelle. The only 
sand that drives into the harbor is that coming from the ocean 
front along Savin Rock. The spur dike and training dike off 
Oyster point form a catch basin capable of holding all the sand 
likely to be driven in there in all future time. 

The State and municipal plans for the improvement of the 
water front at Savin Rock impinge upon the harbor problem 
in the above connection and upon the planning of a future 
State Park in that this water front can be made a most beau¬ 
tiful and important summer breathing place, not for New 
Haven only, but for the entire tributary district. Its ap¬ 
proaches by land and by sea should be considered in connection 
with the general harbor problem so that one work will not in¬ 
terfere with another. 

For example, the sewers which empty into the harbor are 
an objectionable feature in that they form shoals often requir¬ 
ing removal at inconvenient periods, they pollute the water, 
making the harbor very unattractive to shipping, and they will 
ultimately injure the healthful advantages of the proposed 
State Park in Savin Rock, polluting the water for bathing 
purposes and rendering the beach objectionable. Sewage is 
also a menace to the health of the people by polluting the 
oyster beds, which pollution will extend continually further 
and further from the city, making the sewage disposal an im¬ 
portant matter in connection with the proposed terminal, as 
well as other subjects mentioned, because the location of pos¬ 
sible future sewage disposal plants should not be interfered 
with by the location of a terminal or other structures. 

The second best location for such a terminal would be on 
the east shore of the harbor above Ft. Hale Point. This would 
be an excellent site for future factories, and it would probably 
prove profitable to the city to purchase it now, with a view of 
its location later on as free sites to induce manufacturers to 
locate here, with the possibility of an additional terminal being 
located there in the somewhat distant future. 

. It: is of course obvious that the above plan is feasible only 
with the co-operation of the railroads ; in fact the co-operation 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


23 


of the Government, the State, the City and the Railroad Com¬ 
pany, are essential and it would undoubtedly be made of 
mutual benefit to all four of them. The Government, of 
course, benefits by what benefits any section of the country 
and if its work of having begun a harbor is met by effective 
endeavors on the part of the State and City to utilize the im¬ 
provement, the Government gets some returns for the invest¬ 
ment beyond mere gratitude to the “pork barrel”. 

The City and the State will profit by their growth as manu¬ 
facturing neighborhoods, and the railroad will of course doubly 
profit from the prosperity of the country which it serves. 
There is a distinct rivalry between the territory of this rail¬ 
road and the territory of the railroads of the Middle West and 
I can conceive of no policy more advantageous to the railroad 
than to help develop its territory rather than apply the short¬ 
sighted policy of the late C. P. Huntington to thrive only by 
putting on “all the traffic will bear”. 

There are apparently no engineering features to interfere 
at all with the above general plan. No sign of any rock ledge 
has ever been found to prevent any reasonable deepening or 
widening of the channel, dredging is exceedingly cheap and 
can be made even cheaper when arrangements are provided to 
pump the material ashore, the filled-in ground will make an 
excellent foundation for any reasonable structure and if the 
City and State will awaken to the value of the port as an asset, 
there should be no difficulty in its realization. True, the func¬ 
tion of a City in bolstering up a terminal is a more or less novel 
one. For the City or the district to aid in the construction of 
such a terminal requires no wild flight of imagination; for a 
city to undertake to operate such a terminal is a novelty, for 
which success could not definitely be promised, but for a com¬ 
bination to be made of the State or the tributary district, the 
City, the Railroad Company and perhaps an operating com¬ 
pany, all under the control of a joint Board or Commission, as 
has frequently met success in Europe, should be within the 
business genius of the people concerned. That, however, is a 
matter more for the lawyer, the business man and the states¬ 
man than it is for the engineer. 

Conclusion: To investigate and develop the above neces¬ 
sarily somewhat general ideas I would make the following 
recommendations: 

1. That the City acquire control, or as near control as 
possible, of all the land between h'gh and low water in the 
harbor now under control of the State. 

2. That it be prepared before the next Government con¬ 
tract for dredging is let, to build the temporary structures 
necessary to retain dredged materials pumped ashore at any 


24 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


point in the harbor where such retention may appear to be of 
future advantage. 

3. That the necessary legal investigations be made and 
plans arranged for future legislation promoting the joint action 
of the State, the City and the Railroad in connection with the 
port. 

4. That effective action be planned for the distribution of 
the appropriations in the next River and Harbor Bill to con¬ 
centrate the bulk of such improvements on such harbors as 
naturally serve the larger sections of country back of them. 

5. That a detailed study of the suggested terminal and its 
adaptation to future commerce be made by the City in con¬ 
nection with the Railroad Company. Should the Railroad 
Company not enter into the matter, the only remedy for the 
City would be to secure legislation wherein the rate per ton 
mile on the same classification of freight would be the same 
from New Haven that it is from New York. Then a terminal 
might be provided with success but the full and willing co¬ 
operation of the Railroad would make it vastly more effective. 

6. That the subject of a possible future system of fire¬ 
proof warehouses at the terminal to be partly used as a 
storage place for local manufacturers, or for manufacturers in 
the district be carefully studied. The use of trolley lines, 
especially at night for such freight transportation, might make 
the plan a very attractive one, since the location of the ter¬ 
minal, both on the water front and at the point of greatest 
facility for quick rail transportation, might prove an exceed¬ 
ingly valuable one. 

Very truly yours, 


Cassius E. Gillette. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


25 


New Orleans, La., April 18, 1914. 


Col. I. M. Ullman, 

President, Chamber of Commerce, 
New Haven, Conn. 


Dear Sir:— 

I have the honor to submit the following report and accom¬ 
panying plans showing the proposed Boat and Railroad Ter¬ 
minal at New Haven designed to facilitate and cheapen trans¬ 
portation to and from points in the State of Connecticut and 
western Massachusetts. 

The design of the terminal must depend in general upon the 
kinds and quantities of freight to be handled. The following 
is an estimate of the principal freights now sent or received 
annually in the district that will be naturally tributary to 
New Haven when proper use is made of its harbor and the 
railroads that radiate fanwise from that point. 


Coal . 


Lumber . 

.... 250.000 

<< 

Sand. 


14 

Cement and plaster. 

15,000 

a 

Brick .. 

75,000 

a 

Stone .. 

70,000 

n 

C. I. Pipe. 

25,000 

a 

Iron and Steel. 

. .. . 200,000 

a 

Fertilizers . 

50,000 

“ 

Cotton . 

50,000 

a 

Paper Pulp. 

. .. . 100,000 

a 

Copper . 

.. . . 200,000 

a 

Spelter . 

50,000 

n 

Miscellaneous. 

.. .. 500,000 

u 


I find that except a part of that used locally no radical im¬ 
provement can be made in the economics of handling coal, it 
is a good plan for obvious reasons to handle coal and package 
freight at the same wharf. So coal is omitted from the dis¬ 
cussion. It may be noted, however, that in the future at some 
time it might be well for the State or municipality to provide 
storage for a liberal quantity of coal to protect the district 
from heavy loss during prolonged strikes in the mines. A 
part of the wharfage area of Waterside Park could be advan¬ 
tageously used for this. 

Lumber is not economically handled. Except, however, as 
to hardwoods of manufactured lumber in small quantities it is 
not advisable to unload and store lumber in connection with 
















26 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


handling and storing valuable package freight, on account of 
fire risks and the excessive room required. Most of the lum¬ 
ber of the district now comes through New Haven, and the 
quantity will probably not increase very materially, though the 
opening of the Panama Canal may add somewhat to it. Better 
facilities for handling would probably increase the quantity by 
drawing from other ports and the increased use that come 
from reduced costs of any material. 

The outer portions of Waterside Park would be the best 
available space for such unloading facilities. A movable crane 
for lifting lumber from the decks and hatches of vessels and 
placing it on cars is about all that can be done for small stuff. 
For timber a “saw-tooth” edge to the wharf so that ships may 
lie in an advantageous position for the pulling of timbers out 
through bow ports with a movable hoisting engine and snatch 
blocks would aid very materially in getting heavy stuff out of 
ships. An inclined platform up which to draw the sticks to a 
level above car floors would also aid very materially in putting 
the timber on the cars. Such arrangement is so obvious that 
no drawings are presented. 

■ The design of the terminal proper is based on the following 
considerations: 

1. Freight from ship to car, dray, or storage, should be 
moved direct with as little rehauling as possible, machinery to 
be used wherever promptness or economy justify it. 

2. The all important matter is to get the ship unloaded or 
loaded in as short a time as possible. 

3. . Fire-proof storage especially for manufactured goods 
is an important matter. The economical height and location 
of such warehouses vary with local conditions, as to cost of 
land and labor, etc. 

4. Cold storage and express facilities are valuable ad¬ 
juncts. 

To fit these varying conditions a wharf long enough to 
accommodate about two steamers or several schooners and 
barges located East of Long Wharf is planned, with a fire¬ 
proof warehouse parallel to it, the axis of each being at right 
angles to Brewery Street. The inshore end is shown 400 feet 
from Brewery Street, and the wharf is laid out 1200 feet long; 
the pier shed and warehouse are 150 feet less. This layout 
is very favorable to mechanical transportation. 

By putting the short cross transportation in the form of 
overhead trolleys we get quick results in taking the freight 
away from the ships and by putting the longitudinal trans- 
portation on the floor the two systems do nof interfere with 
each other, and the latter may be used in a most advantageous 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


27 


way in helping to get the goods away from the ship quickly. 

I have shown a two story structure for both wharf and 
storage; the lower story high enough for overhead trolleys to 
go over the railroad cars empty. If loaded the cars must be 
moved out of the way. The principal cross transportation is 
overhead in the second story which is made low for easier 
handling. In the upper story longitudinal transportation is 
provided for by industrial track and cars, the rails being flush 
with the floor to avoid interference with hand trucking. In 
fact the whole structure is designed with a view to permit all 
the appliances including hand trucking to be used at once. In 
the lower story a track just inside the building next to the side 
of the ship gives convenience both in loading and unloading. 
This track is depressed so that ordinary flat cars with their 
tops of uniform width closely fitting in the floor opening, can 
by steel flaps covering the spaces between cars be made into a 
movable section of the floor, exactly where the congestion 
comes when the goods are discharged rapidly. By mov¬ 
ing this line of cars along slowly by suitable simple appliances, 
or even by pinch bar, the most rapid unloading can be provided 
for, the excess being cross transported while unloading or at 
convenience later. It makes no interference with hand truck¬ 
ing and dray, car, or storage, can be availed of at the same 
time. 

To facilitate unloading in case the ship is not suitably 
equipped I show a type of crane which moves the freight only, 
and that in the most direct line to the desired point in the 
wharf. Generally such machines involve the movement of 
heavy masses of machinery with every load, a great waste of 
energy to overcome the friction. 

This appliance can be used at any point along the wharf 
shed and deposit the freight directly on cars on either floor. It 
works just as well for loading as for unloading. 

The overhead trolley in the upper story can take freight 
from the car where deposited by the crane or by the “burton” 
sling arrangement generally used on ships, and deposit it 
directly in an open car on the floor below, or in a shute carry¬ 
ing it into or alongside a box car or into a dray, or upon the 
floor of either story, or into storage direct. As many of these 
various load capacities as desired can be installed on the upper 
floor, or on the lower floor, except that both floors could not 
advantageously be led into the storage warehouses on account 
of the undesirability of so many doors. 

The back wall of the freight shed is shown of brick with a 
ten foot space between it and the warehouse wall, for fire 
safety. 


28 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


For the same reason the several rooms in the warehouse 
are separated by solid brick fire walls. I have shown 17 such 
rooms about 40 by 80 feet in plan. 

Materials can be taken out or put into the warerooms, 
team, via the 25 foot driveway back of the building and a door 
into each room, the driveway being three feet below the floor 
level. 

The cost of the sheet piling necessary to hold the mud to 
be dredged by the government to make a fill with its outer 
edge 400 feet south of south line of Brewery Street clear across 
the harbor is estimated at $25,000. It can be done in shorter 
sections at a slightly increased proportional expense. 

The terminal as shown is estimated to cost $820,000. It 
need not all be built at once. Reducing its length by one 40 
foot warehouse reduces the cost by $31,000. Similarly for 
several at the same rate. Changing both p’er shed and ware¬ 
house to one story and making that high enough to pass 
ordinary freight over box cars on the track, the total cost 
would be $745,000, which would be reduced by $27,000 for each 
40 foot length it were shortened. The slip for the New York 
boat shown would cost about $115,000, including shed and two 
Otis inclined elevators for assisting men with hand trucks. 
The express equipment shown would cost about $11,000 extra. 
I have made no design for a cold storage warehouse, as I have 
not data enough to estimate its capacity. Each office for a 
wholesale grocer who might wish to locate at the Terminal 
would cost about $2,500. There would be a great many advan¬ 
tages for a grocer located there. 

The question as to who should pay for such a terminal, if 
built, is an important one. Provided the railroad would make 
suitable and equitable rates so that commerce would follow 
the line of lowest actual cost, the City of New Haven would 
doubtless find it a paying venture in the long run to build the 
Terminal itself by a bond issue, paying the interest direct on 
the idea that the increased taxable values would cover it and 
making no charges beyond enough to pay actual operating 
costs and repairs. 

On the other hand those charges could include enough to 
pay the bond interest also and still, I believe, prove exceedingly 
attractive to commerce. 

But the benefit extends not only to the city of New Haven 
but much more so to about two-thirds of the State of Connec¬ 
ticut, and the State could very properly appropriate funds for 
it just as it has done at New London. 

At the latter point, there being no radiating lines of rail¬ 
road, the State is really much less interested than it would be 
at New Haven. Indeed the engineers have been planning 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


29 


there two years and are still so uncertain as to what kind of 
traffic may be expected that the superstructure is still undeter¬ 
mined. Apparently that terminal will benefit New London 
and possibly a part of Vermont and Canada, but not be of so 
striking a benefit to the State general as the proposed Ter¬ 
minal at New Haven. 

The questions as to who should operate and its relations to 
the railroad are not simple ones. 

In the past the railroads have unwisely, I think, destroyed 
water competition wherever they could. It is being claimed 
today that the Panama Canal will not reduce freight rates to 
the Pacific Coast because the railroads will only bring freight 
at either terminus of the routes to favored lines. 

The Railroads in New England are so dependent upon the 
prosperity of that section, handicapped as it is by double trans¬ 
portation, since it is devoid of raw materials, markets, food, 
and fuel, that it must aid in reducing transportation costs to 
their lowest terms or its skilled labor must go elsewhere to 
compete, that its full accord should be forthcoming. With 
the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate rates, guided 
to an appropriate extent by costs of independent, competitive 
water borne freights, it would seem wise to let every railroad 
and trolley in New England be combined as closely as possible, 
divorcing them absolutely from direct or indirect control of 
water lines, and retaining in the hands of the public the facili¬ 
ties for transferring freight from water to rail. 

With this arrangement the railroad and people should 
prosper. 

Very respectfully, 


Cassius E. Gillette. 


30 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


APPENDIX D 

ENGINEERING REPORT 

TO THE 

HONORABLE MAYOR AND THE HARBOR COMMISSION 

ON THE 

PROPOSED TERMINAL DEVELOPMENT 

OF THE 

PORT OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 
By H. McL. Harding, Consulting Engineer 


Location 

It is the purpose of this report to provide plans and designs 
for the initial and for the future development of port terminals 
at the harbor of New Haven, Conn. 

New Haven Harbor is about 4 miles in length and 1 to 4 
miles in width. 

The protected harbor consists of the shore in a curve about 
the bay extending from Fort Hale Park on the East to Sandy 
Point on the West and South; also the West, Mill and Quinni- 
piac Rivers with improved lengths of 1 mile, 1.3 miles and 1.9 
miles. Mill River is navigable for about 2 miles from its 
mouth, the Quinnipiac for about 8 miles, and the West for 
about 2 miles. The main channel in the harbor has a length 
of 4.2 miles with a present nominal depth of twenty feet. 

Railroad 

New Haven is the most important center of the entire New 
York, New Haven and Hartford Railway System, having rail¬ 
way connections to the east, northeast, north, northwest and 
west. 

Commerce of the Port 

In the calendar year 1913, being a normal year before the 
war, according to the commercial statistics prepared by the 
United States Army Engineers, the waterborne commerce at 
the Port of New Haven amounted to 2,096,135 tons valued at 
$123,093,133. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


31 


Most of this trade is domestic and consists of receipts. 

During the year ending November 30, 1920, there were 
transferred over the wharves of the New York, New Haven 
and Hartford Railway Company alone 523,618 tons, while about 
18,000,000 tons, being largely miscellaneous freight, were 
transferred by rail through New Haven. 

Of the 523,618 tons, 364,162 tons were coal and sand and 
the balance miscellaneous cargoes. The general cargoes, 
though of less tonnage, may be estimated as worth five times 
the coal and sand and would require at least double the area 
for transferring and handling. 

Extent and Ownership 

The total length of waterfront at present in use or available 
for use in New Haven Harbor is about 7 miles. 

Of the total frontage now available at New Haven 17,020 
feet are on the main harbor, 7,050 feet on West River, 7,690 
feet on the Quinnipiac River and 4,440 feet on Mill River. 

The main channel depth at mean low water is 20 feet, 
though the slips are as a rule dredged to a depth of only 12 
feet to 18 feet. 

Of the total harbor frontage about 40 per cent, chiefly in 
the main harbor, is owned by or controlled by the New York, 
New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The city of New Haven 
owns only 540 feet of improved frontage, Practically all of 
the remainder is owned by private individuals and corporations. 

The city of New Haven owns one terminal about 370 feet 
long and 80 feet wide, with an available depth along one side 
of about 15 feet at mean low water. The New York, New 
Haven and Hartford Railroad has six piers, known as Belle 
Dock, Middle Dock, Pocket Dock, Heatons Wharf, Canal 
Wharf and Steamboat Dock, a total of about 12,000 feet but 
none of sufficient depth for large vessels. Present construc¬ 
tion is mostly of pile and timber construction in general in 
poor condition. 

Port Administration 

There are no port authorities other than a harbor master 
and a State Board of Harbor Commissioners. The harbor 
master is appointed by the Governor for a term of three years 
and.performs the usual duties of that office. 

The State Board of Harbor Commissioners for New Haven 
Harbor consists of six members, appointed by the Governor 
for a term of five years, without compensation except the 
clerk. The power of this board is expressly limited to the 
“general care and supervision of New Haven Harbor and its 


32 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


tidewaters and of all the flats and lands flowed thereby in order 
to prevent and remove unauthorized encroachments and causes 
of every kind which are liable to interfere with the full naviga¬ 
tion of said harbor or in any way injure its channels or cause 
any reduction of its tidewaters. ,, 

In addition to these officials there is another State Board 
called the Connecticut Rivers, Harbors and Bridges Commis¬ 
sion. The principal purpose of this board, which is also ap¬ 
pointed by the Governor, is to report on the condition of the 
rivers and harbors of the State and make recommendations for 
the improvements thereof. 

It was this Board, augmented by the Governor and the 
Mayor of New London, that had charge of the new State pier 
at New London. A State pier at New Haven in construction, 
maintenance and operation would be in the hands of this State 
Board. A city pier would be in charge of the City of New 
Haven. 


Harbor Dues 

There are no direct harbor dues collected at New Haven. 

The rates for dockage, wharfage and handling have been 
very low. 

Pilots are not generally taken except for foreign and United 
States registered vessels drawing 9 feet and over if spoken. 

Towage has been increased. 

Immediate Improvements 

As to the initial development, the plans are such that the 
construction work can be started immediately at one location 
and be continued to completion without the necessity of pur¬ 
chasing any land or interfering with the industries. 

The inauguration of this work will not be prohibitory on 
account of financial considerations as the unit system (as ex¬ 
plained later) is recommended, or subject to delays due to 
physical reasons or to legal objections. The initial develop¬ 
ments are also part of the comprehensive plan and need not 
be changed in the future but will form a portion of the whole 
unified system. 

Comprehensive Plan 

For the development during the future years there'is this 
comprehensive plan which may be followed as a guide, as the 
demands of water-borne commerce require additional con¬ 
struction. 


t 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 33 

Future Improvements 

In accordance with this general comprehensive plan, all 
future piers, quays, slips, approaches and structures, sheds or 
warehouses may conform to this plan in the same way as 
streets conform to a previously approved city street plan. 

Past History 

In the past, as no such general plan was then possible, there 
was created the irregular and confused medley of long and 
short piers and narrow slips laid out at various angles, with 
approaches difficult of access and inefficient. 

By good fortune and chiefly on account of the most ex¬ 
cellent and commodious harbor and frontage, nothing has been 
done in the past which will interfere with the best development 
in the future. 

These proposed terminals, while adapted to local physical 
conditions, are designed in accordance with the best and latest 
terminal engineering principles, which principles are based 
upon the daily operation and experience of the best ports of 
the world. 


Pierhead and Bulkhead Lines 

It is generally better to determine for the future develop¬ 
ment, first the pierhead lines. From their location can be de¬ 
termined the bulkhead lines, the plan of the marginal way, the 
piers, slips, the railway tracks, the sheds and warehouses. 

As to the significance of the location of the pierhead and 
bulkhead lines, it should be known that it grants no rights to 
land and adds nothing to taxation of the abutting property 
owners. 


Significance of Harbor Lines 

The pierhead and bulkhead lines are merely imaginary lines 
beyond which the Federal Government says that no pierheads 
must be extended. This is all that the locating of these lines 
means. 

The State or the City can reserve to itself all rights it now 
possesses as to lands under water and within these lines. 

The above is thus stated to correct a wrong impression that 
by establishing these lines certain rights or grants are given. 

Permits for construction can be obtained by the City of 
New Haven from the Federal Government while awaiting the 
locating of the final pierhead and bulkhead lines. 

The bulkhead line or quay line is the one parallel to the 
shore and limits the area which can be solidly filled. 


34 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


The pierhead line is the line beyond which the piers pro¬ 
jecting from the shore cannot be extended. 

At certain places where there is not a great width of fair¬ 
way the bulkhead and pierhead lines are identical. This is the 
case westerly from Forbes Avenue to City Wharf where, as 
piers would either extend into the channel or else slips must be 
cut into the land, it seemed best to combine the pierhead and 
bulkhead lines. 


Waterside Park 

At the easterly end of this quay frontage is the bridge ap¬ 
proach of a length of 300 feet and at the westerly end it is 
desired not to interfere with the view from the Waterside 
Park. 

Shed Roofs for Recreation Areas 

Here it is sufficient to say that in the plans, the legitimate 
uses of the parks for recreation purposes have been carefully 
protected, and it is hoped that the roofs of the transit sheds 
and of the future warehouses may be utilized for recreation. 

Directly to the west of Waterside Park is an irregular 
piece of ground owned by the City and here is a slip extending 
towards Brewery Street. 

In the easterly side of this slip will be a location for a 
selective initial terminal unit, as shown on the general com¬ 
prehensive plan and on the initial plan D. W. G. No. 2. 

The Plan and Design 

The Plans and Designs for the Port Terminals of the City 
of New Haven comprise four (4) large sheets, a general com¬ 
prehensive plan for the future development of the whole water¬ 
front, designated General Plan D. W. G. No. 1, and plans and 
designs for the selective development of three locations desig¬ 
nated Initial Development Plan D. W. G. No. 2, 3 and 4, re¬ 
spectively. 


Comprehensive 

The General Comprehensive Plan indicates how .the whole 
waterfiont of 7 miles may be improved, to which general plan 
all futute construction may conform. Such a general plan is 
necessarily flexible, and subject to such modifications as com¬ 
merce may require. 

It is riot designed to interfere with any industries, but 
rather to foster and encourage such. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


35 


Provisions for the Future 

The general plan makes provision so that in the future 
there may be established all terminal facilities and works such 
as are essential to a successful competitive port. These will 
consist of permanent concrete quays and piers, steel sheds, 
concrete warehouses, manufacturing lofts, mechanical ap¬ 
pliances, rail connections and approaches, car and dray storage 
yards and car placement tracks, drayways and approaches, 
terminal markets, cold storage plants, viaducts over roads and 
railway tracks where necessary, a broad marginal way, dry 
docks and marine railways, oil supply tanks for ships, coal 
pockets for bunkering ships and repair shops. 

The dry dock is so located that it may be a slip for 
freighters when not in use as a dry dock. 

The main harbor channel is to be dredged to 32 feet for 
ocean steamers. 


Channels 

While 30 feet depth of channel might be sufficient for most 
freight vessels, yet many will soon require 32 feet. 

The channel from Long Island Sound divides eastwardly of 
Sandy Point, the main channel following the general direction 
of the old channel, the branch channel, 500 feet in width, pass¬ 
ing in front of the pier line of the eastern shore. Both chan¬ 
nels combine at the northerly end and their trend towards the 
West and South is about 500 feet from the pierhead line. 

There are turning basins which also can be used for limited 
anchorage grounds suitably located as indicated on Map D. W. 
G. No. 1. 

In the first development only the main channel of a width 
of 500 feet and a depth of 32 feet with the two turning basins 
as shown need be dredged. 

It will probably require 50 or possibly 100 years to complete 
the whole program, but it is necessary to have such a plan 
looking to the future growth of the city and the port. 

Finally, by the marginal way, boulevards and connecting 
roads, it will be possible to traverse the whole waterfrontage 
by car or dray from Fort Hale Park on the east to the extreme 
end of Sandy Point. 


Quays and Piers 

In general, the sequence and progress of construction will 
be, first quays, second piers and finally double length piers. 
Quays cost much less to construct and afford a greater speed 
of operation. 


36 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


After the construction of the quay and steel transit sheds, 
the warehouses may be erected. 

Warehouses 

On account of the great cost of warehouses, American 
cities have in most instances left the ownership of these for 
private initiative, but under the control of the port authorities 
as to rates and regulation. 

An inspection of the plan and elevation of the large plan, 
D. W. G. No. 1 will indicate clearly the above works and facili¬ 
ties and their relative positions to the whole terminal and to 
each other. 

The three (3) separate plans for initial development are 
located respectively on northern or central portion of the har¬ 
bor, on the eastern and on the western section. 

Optional Locations 

These are optional locations, either of which or all may be 
selected for initial development. The central location desig¬ 
nated D. W. G. No. 2 is to the west of Waterside Park where 
land is owned by the City of New Haven. There are excellent 
approaches to this initial development location both by Chest¬ 
nut and Hamilton Streets; also an easy rail connection with 
the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railway tracks, by 
tracks which can be laid at once but which later can be re¬ 
moved from Water Street when the other western units adja¬ 
cent are installed. At this site will be provided a place for 
dumping the material which must be dredged from the slip or 
channel. There will therefore not be any cost for the filling. 

By this initial development there will be no interference 
with the Waterside Park, the Starin Line, the property of 
Sargent & Co. or the New York, New Haven and Hartford 
Railway property or with any of the present or future de¬ 
velopments. 

The complete unit will comprise the two sheds, the open 
area and the warehouse with rail and dray approaches. 

The substructure of this unit will be permanent, fireproof, 
decay resisting, and will require the lowest cost for main¬ 
tenance. 


Permanent Construction 

Any piles or wood structures of the relieving platform, as 
per the cross section of D. W. G. No. 2, will be below mean 
low water, and always saturated. Above this relieving plat¬ 
form to the level of the top of the wall the space is filled with 
the dredged material, paved with concrete and asphalt, in the 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


37 


same way as streets are constructed. Within the width of 
about 40 feet to the rear of the edge of the quay wall, are 
placed railway tracks with the tops of the rails flush with the 
pavement for cars with outbound freight. This space is 
spanned by travelling external half-arch gantry jib cranes. 
To the rear of this space is the steel transit shed 200 feet long 
by 60 feet wide and 30 feet clear height beneath the roof 
trusses. 

These sheds are equipped with internal overhead traveling 
cranes for cross transfer and for assorting^ distributing and 
tiering. 

To the rear of this shed will be tracks for inbound freight. 
Later there will be constructed a second shed similar to the 
first in construction and equipment. 

These sheds will be of one story but more than equal in 
capacity to a two-story shed. 

To the rear of these sheds on the property owned by the 
City will be the location of a six or more story concrete ware¬ 
house which can later be erected. The total height of this 
warehouse with the height of each story is shown on the cross 
section. 


Income Investment 

This first installation will be able to earn and will earn a 
net income on the investment, thereby adding nothing to taxa¬ 
tion and will not reduce the debt limit after the first year. 

The City practically lends its credit during the construction 
period. 

It is deemed advisable that there be more than one location 
submitted for the first development to obviate any criticism as 
to favoring any one section, so that if there should be any 
objection to utilizing what may be called the Chestnut Street 
Terminal, that there may be plans for others which may be 
selected. 


East Side Location 

On the east side of the harbor south of the Winchester Coal 
Quays, there is a location which may be considered as a favor¬ 
able location as per the Initial Development Plan D. W. G. 
No. 3. 

This also, according to the above drawing No. 3 will be at 
first a quay development, but which later can consist of a 
standard pier 700 feet long and 300 feet wide. 

This quay unit would also have the same type of substruc¬ 
ture and superstructure as at the Chestnut Street terminal, but 
the shed will have foundations upon which can be erected later 


38 . NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 

the many storied warehouses when the pier is constructed and 
the sheds are built upon the pier as indicated, and then this 
warehouse will be the supporting warehouse of the pier sheds. 

This terminal, which will be designated as East Terminal 
No. 1, will have the same standard external and internal 
mechanical appliances and car track connections with the N. Y. } 
N. H. & H. R. R. and also dray approaches as indicated on D. 
W. G. No. 3. This land, however, does not belong to the city 
but could probably be purchased at a reasonable price. 

City Point Location 

It is most urgently recommended that the city start pro¬ 
ceedings to acquire property south from the silk mill property 
to Fort Hale Park with a width as per the plans. 

There is still a third location towards the west on land 
which must be filled. This could be filled from channel dredg¬ 
ings. The land which is under water is owned by the city. 
This land which may be thus utilized, is between the Bayside 
Park and the central portion of the harbor frontage, and will 
not interfere with the view seaward from the Bayside Park 
across the harbor. 

The general direction of this terminal development would 
be northeast of the park. 

This terminal development is shown on the plan designated 
D. W. G. No. 4 and is of the quay type of the same plan, 
structural design and equipment as already described in the 
other two plans for initial development. The first step of 
this development will be according to the solid lines on the 
plan, and the successive additions as per the dotted lines. 

There will be most excellent road approaches and the rail¬ 
way track approach from the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. at first 
will be by a trestle as shown on the plan until such time as the 
plan as on the general comprehensive plan shall become oper¬ 
ative. This trestle would be in the shallow water of the 
harbor in front of the New Rubber Mill. 

The cost of the initial development at the various locations 
will be given in the section entitled estimates. 

Investment for the Three Initial Developments 

Of the relative investments for the three (3) selective loca¬ 
tions, that for the Chestnut Street Terminal would be the 
least, for the East Side would be more and for the City Point 
lerminal on account of the railway approaches the investment 
would be the most. Possibly the railway might co-operate in 
building the trestle. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


39 


General Details of Construction of Chestnut St. 

Quay Terminal 

The top of the permanent concrete gravity quay wall, will 
be two feet above the highest recorded flood tide." This wall 
will be of the relieving platform type. 

The depth of water in this slip will be thirty-two feet. 

First the shore will be dredged to a slope of 1 on 2 and into 
this slope will be driven piles in rows properly spaced for any 
reasonable load which it may be required to sustain. The 
transverse rows will have four feet centers. The tops of these 
piles are cut off at mean low water, and as they will always be 
saturated with water they will never decay. 

From careful inspection, observation and inquiry there are 
now no toredo in the harbor waters. 

Rip-rap with a slope of 1 on 1 will be placed between the 
piles. This is plainly shown in the cross section drawing on 
D. W. G. No. 2. 

On the relieving platform behind the concrete wall will be 
filling which when settled will be paved with concrete coated 
with asphalt. 

This paved area will have two railway tracks parallel to 
the quay wall spaced about thirteen feet centers, the first track 
center being seven feet from the front of transit sheds, the 
front walls of which are placed about fifty feet to the rear of 
the face of the quay wall. 

There will be two steel sheds, one of which will be at first 
constructed parallel to the waterfront with 50 feet between 
them, each 200 feet long, 50 feet wide and of 30 feet height. 
To the rear of these sheds is a drayway 50 feet in width. 
There are also here located three lines of tracks and a location 
for the six-story warehouse, which should later be constructed 
as soon as funds are available. 

To the rear of the warehouse would be a roadway and other 
railway tracks for the placement of a limited number of cars 
for the outbound and inbound freight. In close proximity to 
this quay terminal are storage tracks of the N. Y., N. H. & H. 
R. R. Co., and not remote is one of the largest railway yards 
in the United States belonging to the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. 
Co. All the tracks will be connected with the tracks of the 
connecting trunk line railroad. 

The two tracks in front of the sheds, between the sheds and 
the quav wall, are spanned by electric travelling half-arch 
gantry jib cranes of one to two tons hoisting capacity. There 
will be stationary revolving jib cranes at suitable locations up 
to 50 tons capacity. 

These cranes in combination with the winches on the ships 


40 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


give the greatest possible speed in discharging and loading 
ocean and coastwise ships. With the harbor craft such as 
barges and lighters which are not equipped with power ma¬ 
chinery, they are essential. Such cranes form part of every 
modern marine port. Within the sheds will be overhead 
cranes travelling at right angles to the length of the sheds for 
transverse movements and tiering. 

Later there will be cranes for transferring freight between 
the sheds and the future warehouse. 

The details of the substructure, the wall and the quay, the 
rails and the superstructure, such as the sheds and the ma¬ 
chinery, will be more clearly understood from an inspection of 
the plans and elevations attached to and made a part of this 
report. 

The initial development of a quay unit constitutes a com¬ 
plete terminal, fully equipped and capable of earning a net in¬ 
come above all expenses, thereby adding nothing to taxation. 

Description of the General Plan 

On the easterly side of the harbor are planned ten piers. 
In the northerly section, including City Point, there are eleven 
piers and on the westerly side are six piers, making a total as 
shown of twenty-seven piers. In addition there are other 
locations where, if ever necessary, there can be other piers. 
Some of the piers are shown of double length or two units 
piers, although most all of the piers can be extended should 
commerce so demand. In addition, there are about 10,000 feet 
of harbor quay frontage besides the quays on the three rivers. 

There could be berthed at the same time over 180 ships of 
350 feet length and over fifty of 300 feet length besides many 
barges and lighters. 

With sufficient depth of waters the largest ships afloat or 
any ships that will probably be built within the next hundred 
years will find ample berthing length at the New Haven piers 
and quays. 

The distance measured around the quays and piers as desig¬ 
nated would be about fourteen miles. Probably across the 
berthing frontage could be transferred over 20,000,000 of tons 
annually. 

. .The above figures are given to indicate what great possi¬ 
bilities exist for the Port of New Haven. 

Pier Dimensions 

The piers are 700 feet long and. 300 feet wide and in width 
are equivalent to what are called double piers. The reasons 
for this pier width are the coming into general use of the five 
ton motor truck and trailers which for a distance of 40 mile 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


41 


radius and possibly more has been found to give rapid and 
economical service. As is well known, these motor trucks and 
trailers require more room for operation than railway cars, 
and in this case, space must be provided both for the railway 
cars and for the motor trucks, which provision will require 
wider piers. 

In addition, there is a probability in the future that the 
piers may be increased in length so as to have two berths on 
each side of each pier instead of one as now designed. A pier 
for the berthing of two ships on each side is wider than where 
there is only one. Such piers of double length, or 1400 feet, 
are called two-unit piers. 

Provided there is sufficient water frontage, wider piers 
have the advantage in more rapid operation. 

Where there is a limited water frontage, to obtain more 
ships’ berths narrow piers are often recommended. 

The distance between the pierhead and bulkhead lines is as 
indicated 700 feet. The pier width is 300 feet and the slips are 
also of the same width of 300 feet. 

Vessels of not more than 300 feet in length can berth at the 
end of the piers and barges at the head of the slips. 

Freight can be transferred by the cranes from vessels lying 
at the end of the piers to sheds, and from barges, lighters and 
small vessels across the head of the slips directly to the ware¬ 
houses. 

To the rear of the bulkhead is the marginal way which has 
a width of 300 feet. 

Probably all these piers will not be constructed during the 
time of this generation, but it is necessary to have a plan to 
which future construction, be it more or less, should conform. 

Beyond Bayview Park, still further towards the west, the 
construction is of the quay type. Here is planned the location 
for repair shops and the dry docks. 

Sometime in the future it may be desirable to project piers 
from the point, but this is not probable for 20 years to come, 
therefore they are not indicated. 

Piers 

As the design of the initial development of the quay has 
been described, the design of the pier may be said to consist of 
two quay frontages placed back to back with the space be¬ 
tween filled in with dredged material. A pier is therefore the 
same as a double quay. 

Pier Dimensions 

As stated, the pier is planned to be 300 feet in width in 
order that there may be a sufficient width for operating con- 


42 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


ditions without congestion, and yet permit the piers being ex¬ 
tended to a length of 1400 feet in the future. If the pier should 
be 160 to 180 feet in width and then doubled on length, there 
would be congestion, which is the great obstacle in obtaining 
the economical speed of operation. 

Railway Holding Tracks and Dray Areas 

It is necessary to have many railway tracks for temporary 
holding of full cars for export freight and for empty cars for 
import freight and also a large area for dray approaches and 
dray yards. 

In general, it may be said that besides the discharging, 
loading switching tracks, there should be in the classification, 
receiving, shipping and temporary holding yards, not less than 
a minimum of two miles of railway track for each quay unit 
of 600 feet when a number of units have been installed. 

The above length of trackage is based upon a study of the 
class of freight expected and on the principle that part of the 
ship’s cargo will be transhipped over the ship’s side, part im¬ 
mediately removed by the cars and drays, and a part, when 
assorted and distributed in the transit shed will be placed in 
the long storage warehouse. 

As the New York and New Haven Railway will be the 
beneficiary of this rail haul traffic, it is for their advantage as 
well as for that of the terminal that their tracks and car stor¬ 
age facilities be extensively used in connection with the ter¬ 
minal development and that some of the tracks be provided by 
the railway company, but all of the terminal area should be 
under the control of the terminal operating company of the 
City or State. 

Dray Approaches 

The main dray approach to the Chestnut Street Terminal 
will be Chestnut Street, also Hamilton Street will be available 
for a through circuit. 

As the quays and piers are extended to the West, there will 
be a marginal way for railway tracks and drayways. Along 
the water-front at a distance behind the bulkhead line will be 
a boulevard and a marginal way to City Point, and around the 
point to Kimberly Avenue. Sometime it may be necessary to 
have certain north and south streets extending over the exist¬ 
ing east and west railway tracks to connect with the water- 
front. 

Loading and Unloading Railway Tracks 

Along the quay, between the shed and the water’s edge, 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


43 


which is a distance of about fifty feet, will be three (3) railway 
tracks, of which the center track will be for a switching track 
with cross-overs to the other two tracks, one such track at 
about every one hundred and fifty feet. 

These front tracks are chiefly for outbound freight, which 
will be swung by the cranes from the open or closed cars 
directly to the ship’s hatchways or upon barges or the shed. 
These tracks can also be used for inbound freight when it is 
not to be distributed or assorted. 

To the rear of the shed, and between the shed and the 
future warehouse will be three (3) more railway tracks of 
which the center is also a switching track. 

These tracks are chiefly for inbound freight from the shed 
to the cars after it has been assorted in the shed for the cars 
to further points inland. Some of this inbound freight may 
be for further shipment by vessels, and will, after assorting 
according to the marks, be swung from the shed to those other 
vessels. 


Extent of Traffic 

This transhipment barge traffic will extend from the port 
of New Haven both to the east and to the west; to the west 
in a direct route by the Long Island Sound and the Harlem 
River to the Hudson River and to New York up-state water¬ 
ways, as the Barge Canal via the Hudson River. 

The railway transfer freight will also extend to the State 
of Maine, the Canadas and northern New York State, including 
New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and all of Connec¬ 
ticut. There is no doubt that portions of the outbound as well 
as the inbound cargoes will bear the marks of Quebec, Mon¬ 
treal, Kingston and Toronto. 

Drayways and Areas 

Besides the street approaches, there will be drayways be¬ 
tween the sheds and the edge of the quays and behind the 
sheds. 

The top of the rails of the railway tracks within these 
spaces will be flush with the pavement so as not to interfere 
with dray passage, the same as with street railway tracks in 
public streets. 

It is estimated that there should be dray-waiting space 
areas approximating in all not less than 2,400 square feet for 
each 600 feet quay unit. This is based upon the proportion of 
local freight tonnage to the whole. 


44 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


Supporting Railway Tracks for the Piers 

In connection with the proposed waterfront freight tracks 
of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Co., it is estimated that to tne 
rear of the piers along the central waterfront between the 
marginal way and the present shore there will be sufficient 
area for the supporting railway storage tracks for the total 
berthing frontage as drawn on the plans. There will not, 
however, be an excess of trackage, especially when the drayage 
area is considered. 

The N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. Co. has, however, a large area 
to the east of East Rock which could be used as a supply 
reservoir for cars which can be used in connection with the 
whole waterfront development. 

The railway tracks, drayways and the marginal way with 
suitable outlets and inlets and approaches and viaducts will, as 
indicated in the comprehensive plan, finally surround the whole 
waterfront from Fort Hale Park to West Haven with branches 
up the Quinnipiac, Mill and West Rivers. 

Piers and Approaches 

Railway tracks, on the piers, are designed to give access 
and egress either to the right or left, or to warehouses, or to 
the tracks in front of or to the rear of the warehouses. There 
are also railway tracks along the sides of the piers and be¬ 
tween the sheds on the piers and also ample drayways. 

All of the tracks, crossovers and frogs will not be con¬ 
structed, but it is necessary to indicate the possibility of their 
layout. 

There are four sheds on each pier with open areas for bulk 
or coarse freight. As already stated, the pier is equivalent to 
two quays set back to back but with the warehouse set fifty 
feet to the rear of the bulkhead line. 

Repair Yards, Shops and Dry Docks 

Besides the piers and quays, channels, anchorages, sheds, 
warehouses, mechanical appliances, railway tracks, highways, 
approaches, coaling equipment, oil supply tanks and other port 
works, the^e should be adequate facilities for the maintenance 
and rehabilitation of the commerce carriers arriving at its 
waterfront to discharge and load freight. 

M.any functions which have a great influence on the com¬ 
mercial success of a port have been left to private enterprise, 
but when private enterprise has failed, the ports have had to 
continue without these necessary facilities. Among these may 
be mentioned repair shops and yards, marine railways and dry 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


45 


docks. Such facilities and others need not be part of the initial 
installation, but there should be reserved locations for these 
future installations. There should, however, be an easy access 
to the railway tracks. All conditions and locations" having 
been studied, the area to the west, on the peninsula known as 
the City Point, seems to be the most suitable. There are here 
large areas, possibility of economcial construction, and there 
can be excellent rail connections, and the place is not remote 
from the waterfront terminals. 

Powers, Laws and Administration 

It is generally advisable to profit by the experience of 
others; to avoid their errors, both little mistakes and great 
failures, to learn from them what were the paths followed to 
achieve success, what were their rules and principles, that is, 
to study their history. Not only is this true of individuals and 
industries, but it is especially true of cities in their striving to 
be superior to competing cities in port terminal facilities. 
There is no time so favorable to have an administration model 
to follow, as at the inception of port development. 

It seemed best in this report to include the laws of admin¬ 
istration of two cities with terminal rates, rules and regula¬ 
tions and refer to a few of their salient features. Such an 
administration by the City should be the final purpose even 
though at the beginning there be a combined City and State 
Administration. 

•The first, made a part of this report, is Chapter 289, Laws 
of Wisconsin, 1919, by which legislative enactment, authority 
is granted to the City of Milwaukee to create a Board of Har¬ 
bor Commissioners with power to plan harbor and waterway 
improvement and to provide for the construction of docks, 
wharves, warehouses, subject to the approval of the civic 
authorities. 

The law also gives such board exclusive control over all 
terminals, including all railway tracks and belt railways con¬ 
nected therewith, belonging to the City, with power to fix and 
regulate charges for the use of publicly-owned conveniences 
of the port. The board is also empowered to make use of any 
funds provided by the city for harbor improvements, repairing 
docks and doing necessary dredging. These laws in this city 
have been approved by the City Council. 

It is most strongly recommended that these laws be adapted 
to the legal conditions of the Port of New Haven and adopted 
almost in their entirety except insofar that the Charter of the 
City of Beaumont, Texas, of May, 1919, may appear superior. 
There have been submitted and made a part of this report the 
above mentioned laws and also that portion of the charter of 


46 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


the City of Beaumont and the rules and regulations of the 
City Council of the City of Beaumont which refer to Port 
Administration and Management. 

It would be preferable, subject to the State of Connecticut, 
to operate under the Milwaukee laws for a year or two and 
then change over to the Liverpool and English Colonies-system 
as exemplified in the Charter of the City of Beaumont. 

The first step would be to appoint a board of at least five 
harbor commissioners. These can be appointed by the Mayor. 
Your consulting engineer would be pleased to explain more 
fully to your Committee. 

Mechanical Appliances 

One of the chief features of the success of marine terminals 
is speed of discharging and loading ships. 

From speed comes economy, and from the combination of 
speed and economy the port becomes most desirable to the 
shipper and consignee and secures for itself a most enviable 
position as a competing port on account of the least delay of 
the ships. 

To secure this speed, there must be no congestion points, 
from the time the freight leaves the ship until it is outside the 
terminal limits, and similarly there can be no congestion delays 
for the freight in its course from the limits of the terminals to 
its final place in the ship. 

The only way that this speed of discharging and loading 
can be obtained is by the utilization of power appliances. 

The machinery at the terminals will consist of appliances 
of such universal adaptation that they will transfer and handle 
goods and commodities of every kind and description. The 
terminals are for the public who deal in every class of mer¬ 
chandise. 

Special commodities, as at private terminals may require 
special machinery, only applicable to the particular class of 
goods or material. 

At public terminals for miscellaneous cargoes there may be 
installed machinery of the crane type, external, for transfer¬ 
ring between vessel and shore, and internal for further shore 
movements and handling. 

The external crane is of the full or half arch electric trav- 
elling, revolving, gantry jib type of 1 ton capacity with one 
rope and 2 tons capacity with two ropes. 

The speed of hoisting with full load is from 250 to 300 feet 
per minute with one rope and 150 feet per minute with two 
ropes. 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


47 


. The speed of travel along the quay is about 250 feet per 
minute. 

There is one crane on the quay for each 150 to 300 feet. 

Travelling Revolving Gantry Jib Cranes 

These cranes are chiefly for transferring between vessel 
and shore; for outbound freight from the land carrier or shed 
to the vessel and inbound freight from the vessel to the land 
carrier or to the shed. 


Ships Winches 

In discharging, by using the ships winches to draw from 
between decks to above the upper deck of the ship and then 
burtoning to the hook of the full rope of the crane, the greatest 
speed is secured. Further shore movement is by the internal 
overhead travelling cranes over movable cross tracks and fixed 
side tracks. There are other accessories, such as nets, slings, 
hooks, motor tractors and trailers which can be added from 
time to time as the demand occurs. 

The Harbor 

The harbor waters are not now of sufficient depth for ocean 
freighters. The depth varies from 14 feet to 20 feet. 

It is recommended that there be a channel of a depth of 32 
feet at mean low water, and with a width of about 500 to 600 
feet dredged from the Sound to the proposed location of the 
first unit and as shown on the map of the large comprehensive 
plan D. W. G. No. 1 around the whole harbor, the width of the 
channel being also 500 feet. Turning basins and anchorages 
are drawn on the plan. 

The channel at first is only to be dredged where designated 
as the Main Channel with the anchorages. Later the channels 
can be dredged opposite the piers and quays as they are there 
constructed. 

The first Main Channel is in accordance with the policy of 
the installation of the first terminal units, but there should 
only be such improvements and investments made for which 
there will be an immediate commercial use. A petition should 
be made for this main channel improvement with basins at the 
earliest possible date in accordance with the following method 
of procedure for obtaining appropriations for harbor work by 
the Government. 

First Congress authorizes a preliminary report and survey. 
Under this authority the district United States Engineer for¬ 
mulates a report and recommendation with the cost estimates 


48 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


to the Secretary of War, This report first goes to the Division 
Army Engineer for his approval or disapproval, who then for¬ 
wards it to the Chief of Engineers in the War Department in 
Washington and the Chief of Engineers sends it to the Board 
of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors for their action. They 
give notice as to the nature of the District Engineer’s report, 
and anyone who wishes to submit further arguments on any of 
the projects which the District Engineer reports adversely is 
permitted to do so. After the Board of Engineers for Rivers 
and Harbors passes on the report, it goes again to the Chief of 
Engineers for his approval and is then sent by the Secretary 
of War to Congress for action as to appropriations or other 
recommendations. There is no doubt but that when the City 
of New Haven starts construction on its first unit that favor¬ 
able action as to dredging the channels will be taken by the 
Federal Government. 


Drays and Trailers 

Transportation by the five-ton motor truck and trailers 
whereby loads can be transported between the factory and the 
ships has now become such an important factor in the move¬ 
ments of goods for a radius of -thirty miles that the terminal 
design has been modified to suit the changed conditions. 
These modifications largely consist in allowing greater areas 
for dray or motor truck yards. 

Raw material can be delivered to the dray for immediate 
transport to the factories, manufactured products from the 
factories to the ships for export. Food products can also be 
delivered from the barges or vessel to the merchant or con¬ 
sumer. Barge or lighter traffic about the harbor will greatly 
increase. 


Underlying Principles of Operation 

Unless the methods of freight-transference-operation are 
fully understood, the reasons for the plans, designs, relative 
locations of the structures, the installation of machinery may 
not be fully comprehended. It seemed advisable therefore to 
describe in detail the inbound movement of the freight from 
the vessel until it leaves the terminal and the outbound from 
the time it enters the terminal until it is finally loaded into the 
vessel. 


Operating Methods 

The following details of operation are in accordance with 
the best and latest terminal principles, which are based upon 
the daily practice of the most successful ports and have re- 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


49 


ceived the commendation of the Society of Terminal Engi¬ 
neers. 


Attainment of Speed and Operation 

To secure the greatest speed in the freight movements, the 
design should be such that there will be a continuous course of 
the goods through all portions of the terminal, both inbound 
and outbound, the same to be performed by machinery such as 
cranes, tractors with trailers and accessories but with the min¬ 
imum of hand labor. 

Unless the plans and the designs are such that correct me¬ 
chanical appliances can be adopted, installed and successfully 
operated, the speed which is so essential to making the Port 
of New Haven the chief port of Connecticut and of New Eng¬ 
land cannot be obtained. For this purpose to avoid interrup¬ 
tion the indestructible and non-decaying quay walls with an 
ample factor of safety in the sustaining piles were adopted, the 
permanent, concreted paved and asphalted quay surface having 
the least possible wear was selected, and fireproof steel sheds 
with rigid, immovable columns and trusses for supporting 
cranes and hoisting mechanisms are to be installed; all to 
form a complete and harmonious whole for continuous opera¬ 
tions of the machinery already described under the head of 
Mechanical Appliances with the minimum of congestion. 

The vessel, ship, barge, lighter or other harbor craft arrives 
at the quay with a cargo of miscellaneous freight. 

Inbound Freight 

This inbound freight of ocean ships for the most part is 
between decks and must be drawn to the harchways of the 
ship for the vertical hoisting. This first horizontal and ver¬ 
tical movement of discharging is best performed by the ship’s 
winches, and the draft when above the upper deck instead of 
being burtoned to the fall rope of a second boom, is burtoned 
to the hook of the fall rope of the revolving jib of the travel¬ 
ling gantry crant, and swung to the shed for assorting, dis¬ 
tributing and tiering, or if of few marks, either to waiting cars 
to possibly drays for the secondary movement. 

After being assorted and segregated in the shed, the freight 
is moved to outgoing cars, to the drays of the consignees or 
placed in warehouses for storage. The movement from the 
shed to cars, drays or warehouses is at the expense of the con¬ 
signee or shipper as well as the storage charges of the ware¬ 
houses. Overhead cross travelling cranes with movable tracks 
distribute the freight within the shed and then transfer to the 
outgoing freight cars or to the warehouse. Inbound bulk and 


50 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


coarse freight, not affected by the weather, is generally placed 
in the open areas at the ends of the sheds but not between 
the sheds and the water edge of the quay. 

There will be many lighters and barges operating about the 
harbors which will not have winches. Their loads will be 
lifted directly from their holds or decks, and swung upon the 
quays or cars or to the sheds by means of these travelling jib 
cranes. 

These barges and lighters may be termed water drays but 
often of 500 tons capacity in contra-distinction to land drays 
of 5 tons capacity, and the operation of these harbor craft will 
form a new and important industry. It has been said that 
there are 10,000 such vessels around New York harbor, and 
before the war that some 50,000 barges called at Hamburg 
annually. 

From the time the freight leaves the ship, barge or lighter 
to its final movement within the terminal, to secure speed of 
movements there must be no congestion points, especially at 
points of deposition when being transferred from one move¬ 
ment to another. All movements should be continuous. 

Outbound Freight 

The outbound freight for water shipment will come in rail¬ 
road cars, closed or open, in drays or on barges, lighters, 
schooners or other vessels for trans-shipment. 

From the outbound cars the freight is not assorted but is 
generally transferred directly into vessels, if there be a vessel 
Avaiting. 

From open cars or from within the doors of box cars freight 
is transferred by the gantry jib cranes to the hatchways of the 
outgoing ships. 

Should the car freight arrive and no vessel be ready, if 
there is to be more than 48 to 72 hours delay, the freight is 
stored in the warehouse. For a very short period it may be 
held in the detained cars to avoid rehandling. In general it is 
advisable to notify the shipper as to the arrival of the vessel 
and when it will be ready to receive the freight, to avoid car 
demurrage or the ship’s delay. 

Often it is necessary to hold freight in the warehouse until 
full cargoes are secured. It is here that the superior ability of 
the traffic manager made manifest. Often the dray and barge 
outbound freight, originates sufficiently near so that it need 
not be detained at the terminal, but can pass directly into the 
ship. 

From nearby works, factories and shipping points located 
upon the waterside, barges and lighters can bring the out- 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


51 


bound freight directly to the ship's side, or inbound freight 
can be taken from the ship to such locations. 

ESTIMATES 

The following estimate applies to the initial development at 
the site lying westerly of Waterside Park. 

This terminal will have a frontage length as per the plan 
drawing D. W. G. No. 2, lying parallel to the southwesterly 
line of Waterside Park, and with a standard width of about 
150 feet. 

The substructures below mean low water will consist of 
piles driven to refusal, with a slope dredged to 1 on 2, with the 
slope between the piles covered with rip-rap deposited to a 
slope of 1 on 1. Above the piles are the transverse timbers 
12" X 12", the relieving platform, 4 inch plank, the toe, key and 
tail pieces, each 12" X 12", and to the rear the curtain wall. 

Upon this relieving platform towards the front is the per¬ 
manent concrete wall of the mass gravity type protected by 
fender piles and chocks. The space to the rear of the wall will 
be filled with material dredged from the slip, concreted with 
5" of concrete and coated with \y 2 " asphalt. 

Initial Optional Development No. 1 


The estimate for this substructure, the dredging, 
filling behind the wall with the dredged mate¬ 
rial, the paving and the terminal railway tracks, 

all as per plan, will be. $108,000.00 

The estimate for the steel shed 200 feet by 60 feet 

and accessories .. 43,200.00 

Gantry cranes, overhead tiering and distributing 

machinery . 34,000.00 

Incidentals and engineering . 12,300.00 


Total . $197,500.00 


The above figures may be accepted as conservative and, as 
costs of labor and material are falling, the final figures when 
bids are requested will probably be less. 

It is expected that the dredging in the channel and in the 
turning basin will be done by the Federal Government. This 
channel, 500 feet wide and 32 feet deep, with the turning basin 
is indicated on the General Comprehensive Plan D. W. G. No. 
1. The dredging in the slip of sufficient width to the length 
of the quay has been included in the estimate of $197,500. 








52 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


Initial Development 

On the Initial Development Plan D. W. G. No. 2 are shown 
the dimensions as the length and the width of the quay. _ On 
the same drawing are given in the cross section, the heights 
and other dimensions. 

The estimate of the cost of the initial development on the 
east side of the harbor for similar construction would be 
$198,750. 

To this, however, should be added the purchase price of the 
land, the carting of rip-rap, and the railway tracks and roads 
as may be laid out by the City. 

The cost of the land for the terminal site and along the 
foreshore should be obtained at an early date. 

It is, however, recommended that all the land as shown in 
the General Comprehensive Plan D. W. G. No. 1 as developed 
for terminals on the east side be acquired by the City. The 
initial development of this east side terminal is as per plan 
drawing D. W. G. No. 3. 

This, as has been demonstrated by the experience of other 
cities, will be an excellent investment for the City, and there 
are plans for financing such lands. If sufficient land is pur¬ 
chased, the increase in the value of the land will more than pay 
for the terminal development. 

Initial Optional Development No. 3 

On the northeast side of City Point, where filled-in land 
would be owned by the City, is a proposed site for the third 
optional initial development, designated as Initial Development 
Plan D. W. G. No. 3. 

The investment here on account of additional dredging and 
filling and the trestle approaches would be more than at the 
other locations. This is estimated to be about $245,000, ex¬ 
clusive of the trestles, rail approaches and water rights. 

It is to be understood that the above estimates are based 
upon normal conditions and that there is no rock to be ex¬ 
cavated and no economic objections. 

When working drawings are prepared for actual construc¬ 
tion, then borings will be made and all conditions will be care¬ 
fully worked out in detail. 

While it should be of little value to give estimates of in¬ 
stallations which may not be made for a number of years, yet 
a few unit estimates may be of service as an approximate 
guide. 

For quay construction, exclusive of dredging, filling, rail¬ 
way tracks and roadways, which will vary for each location, 


NEW HAVEN HARBOR DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION 


53 


the estimated cost today may be taken as $130,000 per linear 
foot frontage. That is, the cost of 600 linear feet would there¬ 
fore be $78,000. 

The estimated cost of a pier 700 feet long, 300 feet wide, 
with a slip head of 300 feet would be $275,000. 

The sheds, 60 feet X 200 feet, one story, would cost from 
$30,000 to $50,000. 

The average cost of a warehouse 100 feet X 200 feet, six 
stories, would be about $500,000. 

To these general figures must be added the purchase price 
of land, railway tracks, roads and various accessories. 

The general specifications contained in this report will in¬ 
dicate clearly the types of construction recommended. 

When, however, the construction work of the piers, quays, 
sheds or warehouses is to be started, then there should be 
exact working drawings and exact estimates made, based upon 
the prevailing prices of labor and material at that time. 

The initial development at the terminal, east of Waterside 
Park, will be less than $200,000. 

It is necessary to make a start, if the assistance of the 
Federal Government is to be secured. 

The following significant sentences are quoted from one of 
the Federal Government reports about New Haven and are 
self-explanatory of the attitude and position of the authorities 
at Washington. Referring to Municipal Terminals at the 
Port of New Haven, it says: 

“Engineers were engaged to investigate the matter and a 
report containing a comprehensive study of the terminal sit¬ 
uation has been made, but no definite action has yet been taken 
on the project,” 1916. 

These old reports and records are brought before the Secre¬ 
tary of War and the Chief Engineer of the War Department, 
when any new appropriations are asked for the improvement 
of the harbor of New Haven. 

A new Secretary of War is soon to be appointed who is free 
from any old bias. The new Chief of Engineers will be favor¬ 
able if the City does its part. 

That the City has had modern plans, general and specific, 
just finished, will have its influence in securing a most favor¬ 
able hearing and prompt action. 

Your consulting engineer will assist, if desired, in present¬ 
ing this matter before the Chief Engineer of the War De¬ 
partment. 

From time to time addenda will supplement this report. 

Respectfully submitted, 

H. McL. Harding, 

Consulting Engineer. 


























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